Flop show

For a minute, I was aghast on reading about Kevin Pietersen being denied entry into a Qantas lounge for wearing thongs. I almost put off my breakfast until I learnt that in Aussie land, thongs and flip flops are one and the same. While organisations are entitled to their rules, flip flops are an institution in Australia so for the national carrier to go against them is absurd. It’s not like he was wearing a vest or travelling bare feet.

Qantas says it implemented its decision to not allow flip flops in its club lounges earlier this year, though funnily, wearing them on-board is fine. Does the airline not realise that access to a lounge is part of the ticket price? Denying paying customers lounge access is equivalent to denying them access to the class that they have paid big bucks for. I’m afraid I don’t need to dress in smart casuals to sleep peacefully on a flat bed. For me, comfort trumps style. I find the idea that I should have to prop up my appearance while travelling just so that others in the lounge never have to see anyone who doesn’t dress like them, appalling, to say the least.

I’ve never flown on Qantas and I don’t think I will either. Not after hearing a rule that’s as ridiculous as this. If I’m not welcome somewhere because of how I’m dressed, I’d just as soon not go in there. Thank the Lord that the doorkeeper hasn’t seen me travel. I wear a loose T-shirt, old tracks and slippers on long haul flights. I’ll never fly wearing anything else on my feet if I can help it, and if you have a problem with my toe nail, I have one with your mug. Besides, I cannot handle the irritation of removing shoes and belts at security scanning. I might pass off as a tramp but then I pay an airline enough to travel comfortably in B-class and don’t particularly care about being judged by someone I’m never going to meet in the future, so what I wear should really be my prerogative.

 

Tailpieces

1) Earlier this year, Imran Khan slammed Narendra Modi for his failure to fight poverty and for diverting money towards an arms race. However, both parties conveniently chose to forget Khan’s vitriol when they met in Delhi recently. The usual spiel about peace and brotherhood ensued over chai and samosas. IK invited Modi to Pakistan before bringing up the India-Pakistan series that Pakistan has long been angling for. Modi’s reaction was no more than a forced smile. Looks like IK got his answer.

2) The heartbroken parents of a baby called Hope, who lived for just 74 minutes, graciously allowed her organs to be used to save the lives of others, making her Britain’s youngest-ever donor. Her mother, Emma, chose not to have the abortion, which the doctors had suggested when they realised that at 13 weeks her child wouldn’t survive. Instead, she carried her baby to full term. Reminds me that good things can come out of the darkest days if we think and act courageously!

3) Bollywood’s fiercest Battle Royale unleashes tomorrow. The clash between Bajirao Mastani and Dilwale has given rise to an endless round of wagering on which one will pip the other. Mega bucks, reputations and egos are at stake. Let the power games begin!

Published in The Express Tribune, December 17^th, 2015.

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